The Rudolf Steiner Archive

16. Secrets and Secrecy

[ 1 ] Today I would like to offer some insights into phenomena that can be observed in the astral sphere.

[ 2 ] The Theosophical Movement is a necessity for our time. We are indeed accused of divulging secrets that few others possessed—for example, in Blavatsky’s books Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine—but others consider it timely to share these things. There are occultists who say that it is harmful to share this knowledge. Thus, we see two schools of thought: one claims that it is harmful, even a misfortune, to share occult knowledge; the other, however, asserts that it is necessary to share this knowledge with the world.

[ 3 ] The astral sphere does not always remain the same; it undergoes minor changes. These are not significant, but they are nonetheless clearly perceptible. The general landscape of the astral plane was different in the time of the Atlanteans than it is in our time; it changed from year to year. Certain changes in the astral world have led to the realization that it is necessary to share a portion of occult knowledge with humanity—publicly and in a way accessible to the general public, rather than confining it to a select few initiates. This concerns the deepest occult knowledge, and only a portion of it can ever be revealed.

[ 4 ] In the 19th century, very special signs appeared in the astral world that prove with absolute certainty that the great mystery which must find expression in our race has a somewhat different character than the earlier mysteries. Each race is entrusted with one of the seven great mysteries. Four of these mysteries have already been entrusted. The fourth was entrusted to the fourth root race. The fifth mystery is the one into which we are growing; the sixth and seventh mysteries will be entrusted to the sixth and seventh root races.

[ 5 ] Not all members of a root race are initially initiated into such mysteries. Until now, the fundamental mystery has always been known only to the adepts. Because they possessed this mystery, they were the leaders of the race in question. For our fifth root race, this has been the case until now as well. You will find some hints about this in the September issue of Luzifer. Only at the end of the fifth root race will it be revealed to a larger number of people and understood by them. In the earlier root races, these secrets were held by only a few. In our root race, the capacity of the intellect, of the mind, has been developed. The deepest depths, however, are closed to the mind, though some of the outer aspects of the secret can be surmised by the mind. Before the year 1875, nothing was known of these things, or at least they were not taken into account.

[ 6 ] The secret of the fifth root race can now be conveyed from mind to mind without the need for speculation. I cannot explain the nature of the signs in the astral plane; some of them have in fact been guessed at by individuals who are far removed from any occult movement. It is in the nature of human dispositions within the fifth race that there will soon be many people who will guess some of these things.

[ 7 ] There are occultists who say that uncovering the secret is a very dangerous thing; it is detrimental both to the individual concerned and to humanity as a whole. It is dangerous because revealing the secret of the fifth root race could divide humanity into a few very good people and many others who are radically immoral. At first glance, this is a paradoxical and bold claim. But these occultists truly believe that the central secret of the fifth root race cannot be revealed, for if someone were to reveal this secret, they would be at the mercy of others and would lose the ability to exert a beneficial influence on humanity. Furthermore, it is said to be futile to reveal the secret, as it would only lead to harmful consequences. Therefore, there is no initiate who has ever revealed this secret. And there is no way to extract the secret from an initiated person; even torture would be of no use, as the person in question would either go mad or die from the agony.

[ 8 ] Theosophy is now intended to prepare humanity so that, when the mystery is partially revealed, its harmful effects will be neutralized. A fundamental difference between the mystery of the fifth root race and the mysteries of the earlier root races is that the mystery of our fifth root race can be partially deduced by the intellect. In the past, the mysteries were strictly in the hands of the adepts who guided humanity. However, in our time there could be people who, in a certain sense, outgrow the adepts. Therefore, some people must be prepared when the secret confronts them from the outside. The time will come when individuals will step forward with parts of the truth that they can deduce. Without the preparation provided by Theosophy, however, this would be terrible and have a devastating effect on humanity. It could then be the case that there would be only a few good people, and the great mass of humanity would then be lost to the good. The fundamental teachings of Theosophy are the prerequisite for these truths to be handed down to humanity. Without them, humanity would be split into three parts: first, the thoughtless masses; second, the destructive intellectuals with their guessed-at secret; and third, the occultists. People would wage a life-and-death struggle against one another. But those who have guessed the secret do not understand why the secret must not be revealed. The Theosophical Society strives to prevent this threefold division of humanity from arising, but rather to create the nucleus of a universal brotherhood. One might now object that a universal brotherhood of humanity could never exist. We reply: What you say is indeed correct, but we know the foundations of Theosophy and know that such a nucleus will protect humanity. — This is a kind of prophecy, but one based on objective perception in the astral world. The secret of our root race is thus one that can be guessed to a certain extent. Therefore, people must be prepared for the moment of discovery. People must learn to support one another; they must work together. It would be harmful if all human thoughts were directed solely toward the immediate present, if thoughts were focused only on the temporal and not on the eternal. We now know, therefore, a reason even deeper than that of the astral laws, which compels us to devote our energies to the Theosophical Movement, because we know where humanity is heading.